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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport

Huddersfield 0 Man City 3: Leroy Sane stars as champions cut title gap on Liverpool

Manchester City closed the gap on Liverpool at the top of the Premier League to four points with a comfortable win at Huddersfield.

Goals from Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane secured a routine 3-0 victory after Danilo's heavily deflected strike had opened the scoring.

Pep Guardiola recalled Sergio Aguero to lead the line, despite Gabriel Jesus' return of seven goals in his last two games, while Kevin De Bruyne started a Premier League game for the first time since Boxing Day.

This was Huddersfield's first game without David Wagner at the healm since November 2015, and caretaker boss Mark Hudson making six changes to the side that drew 0-0 at Cardiff.

The visitors should have had the chance to take the lead from the penalty spot inside the first quarter of an hour, only for referee Andre Marriner to wave away the City appeals after Terence Kongolo had chopped down Sterling.

Luck was back on their side just five minutes later though, when Danilo's 30-yard effort took a huge deflection of Christopher Schindler and flew into the Huddersfield net for City's 100th goal in all competitions so far this season.

(Getty Images)

Despite taking the lead, City were below par in the first half, labouring without the incisive presence of either Bernardo or David Silva.

After the break, however, City clicked into gear. They doubled their lead when Sane's cross was met by a diving header from Sterling, and then had a third two minutes later when Sane himself tucked home from Aguero's cushioned header.

(AFP/Getty Images)

City eased off, with Guardiola taking the chance to rest Fernandinho and Sane late on, and substitute Steve Mounié almost found a consolation, but his curling effort from range drifted just wide.

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